THE
RHÔNE VALLEY & THE ALPS TRAVEL GUIDE

The
land that lies between the tumultuous Rhône—a
river the historian Michelet called “a raging
bull”—and Europe's loftiest peaks, a
land that embraces glaciers and olive trees, ancient
cities and untamed wilderness, is still in the process
of forging its modern identity. Comparable in size
to Switzerland or Belgium, Rhône-Alpes is
France's second-largest region. It forms a counterweight
in the nation's southeastern sector to Paris--Ile-de-France
in the north. Though it is swiftly becoming a major
European crossroads, Rhône-Alpes is more a
political construct than a coherent cultural or
geographic entity—the Région Rhône-Alpes
is a very recent creation. Paradoxically, perhaps,
the stunning diversity of the region's topography
counts among its prime assets, and is surely its
primary attraction for travelers. Read
more...